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switching banks

Everyone has things they want to improve about their financial lives -- and we in the AOL newsroom are no exceptions. So we asked money expert Jean Chatzky for advice on how to reach our goals. Today: A DailyFinance reporter who's ready to break up with his bank.

When influential bank analyst Richard X. Bove got fed up with Wells Fargo as a customer, he moved his money over to Chase, then turned the experience into a research note. His startling conclusion: "[T]he service is so bad, and yet the company is so good."

Still banking at one of the "too big to fail" institutions? According to Bank Deals blog and DepositAccounts.com, for the best yields on checking, savings and CDs, you'd do better looking locally. For example, consider these three deals available right now.

Consumer activists are pushing bank regulators to allow people to take their account numbers with them when they switch banks, just like cellphone numbers. Such account number portability might encourage banks to treat customers better because it would make it easier for them to leave.

Many of us have our bank accounts running almost on autopilot: Paychecks go in and bills get paid automatically, and any details we need to deal with are handled easily online. But these conveniences come at a price -- they make it too much trouble to leave a bank, even when its fees get outrageous.

With some of the biggest banks raising fees again, many Americans are seriously considering finding new places to keep their money. But with direct deposit and automatic bill pay, moving your checking account can be complex. We talked to a pro for this easy five-step process to handle your bank swap.